One of the big surprises at the Dutch Grand Prix was Pierre Gasly finishing on the podium. He steered his Alpine to third place on a soaking wet track on the Dutch coast. Gasly and teammate Esteban Ocon look ahead to the Italian Grand Prix, which is now just around the corner.
"I have spent a lot of my life in Italy and now I live in Milan, so of course, it’s a very special place for me. The Italian Grand Prix is a semi home race for me since I stay at home for the race weekend, so that is very nice," Gasly says. " It's going to be a challenging weekend, but we have some confidence and momentum now," he continued.
The Monza Grand Prix could also please Ocon: "Personally, I really like this track, and driving in Italy in general, having spent a lot of time here in the junior days. The Tifosi make this race extremely special, and you can feel the passion of the fans. The whole team is excited to get our weekend started and we’ll be working hard together for more good results," the Frenchman said.
In the constructors' standings, Alpine is in sixth place. It managed 73 points this Formula 1 season, hovering a bit in no-man's land. Williams has scored just 15 points and McLaren 111.
There is something seriously wrong with a racecar that cannot keep up on a fast track .. hence the disappointing finish at Monza. It's either power or drag. Should be easy to figure that out. Unless they do, they will be relegated to the midfield.
Tbh, lots of candidates for the podium. My personal list for potential teams on the podium (not in order of probability): - MCL - MB - Ferrari - AM - Alpine - Williams I can be wrong, but AM, MCL and Alpine seem strong on tracks without many straights. So not sure about them. MB could be strong this weekend. Ferrari is a big unknown, even though, they seem to have a powerful PU. Williams could be the surprise. Also interesting, will VER get his 10th win in a row? After all, it's less a driver's track compared to some others.